Despite his removal from his post as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab vowed to stand by his style in managing the budget to ensure that the projects, plans and programs of the Duterte administration will succeed.
Ungab was removed from his post as chairperson of the powerful House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The House majority later moved to replace Ungab with ACT-CIS party-list Representative Eric Yap during a session on Monday. Yap, according to news reports, is reportedly an ally of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte in the National Unity Party–the second largest bloc in the chamber and is headed by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga.
Ungab’s removal comes after reports that congressmen are restive over a Budget department circular that classifies funds for lawmakers’ projects for later release and subject to certain conditions.
According to Barzaga in a television interview, the DBM circular requires the district engineer to “specify projects concretely in order to avoid ghost projects.” The DBM circular comes after reports that P80 billion worth of budget insertions were made by congressmen during the bicameral conference committee.
The ouster of Ungab is part of the reorganization at the House, which came few days after rumors of an alleged plot to oust Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano as House top leader surfaced.
“As I have said yesterday, the truth will always prevail. I am guided by my conscience,” Ungab told Edge Davao.
He also thanked his party Hugpong Ng Pagbabago (HNP) which immediately issued a statement of support for the embattled lawmaker.
The conveners of HNP, a political alliance formed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, said in a statement that it strongly condemned the removal of Ungab from his post.
The HNP statement said the ouster of Ungab was grossly unacceptable as it is disadvantageous to the Duterte administration’s reform agenda for the Filipino people and the country.
HNP also lauded him for being “a good soldier” of President Rodrigo Duterte and for doing his job with pride and principle.
The party has endorsed Ungab during the race for the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 18th Congress in July last year.
Ungab is a four-term congressman and the only lawmaker to hold the chairmanships of both Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees.
